Russia Appeals to IAEA as Ukraine Risks Disaster With Attacks on Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant

The massive atomic power station is one of the largest in the world, featuring six reactor cores that each generate a gigawatt of electricity. The plant is some 40 years old, having been brought online by the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. Russia took control of the sensitive asset in March 2022 and it has endured Ukrainian fire ever since.

Ukrainian drones, missiles, and artillery have all been used against the plant by Kiev, which has repeatedly attempted to reassert control.

Kiev claims Russia is storing weapons at the power station and using it as cover to attack Ukrainian troops. Observers worry Ukraine may create a disaster at the plant, blaming Russia and spoiling newly-Russian territory. Kiev has repeatedly employed cluster munitions during fighting in the Donbass, raising the prospect of unexploded bomblets creating a hazard for decades to come.

The plant lost its last remaining connection to a backup powerline this week as an IAEA team on the ground reported hearing artillery fire nearby. The operators of the plant released a statement on Telegram Friday claiming it had suffered multiple Ukrainian drone attacks.

A connection to outside power is necessary to ensure the plant is able to cool its reactors – an interruption in the delivery of electricity could precipitate a catastrophic meltdown.

The IAEA has so far refused to assign culpability for attacks on the plant.